


On thin ice

by ShadowNightwing1



Category: Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-05
Updated: 2020-02-05
Packaged: 2021-02-27 21:46:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,782
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22572709
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShadowNightwing1/pseuds/ShadowNightwing1
Summary: (Set in season two)A search for a base takes Zeb, Sabine and Ezra to look for an abandoned outpost on a snowy planet. What could possibly go wrong?[ONE-SHOT]
Comments: 1
Kudos: 5





	On thin ice

A snow flurry showered over the plains, covering the freshly made footprints, making the area look like it was untouched by any creature. The sun was only a white dot in between the light grey clouds, it was a long time before nightfall.

On the surface of the icy planet, three figures walked through the shin high snow, one shorter than the other. They held a hand above their eyes, trying to keep the falling snowflakes from their vision. At least it wasn't any kind of storm, because that would make the visibility extremely low, let alone that cold would be another problem.

"See anything?", Ezra asked, stopping in his tracks. His two companions stopped behind him, trying to look past him.

"If there was anything to see, we would've pointed it out a long time ago.", Zeb said, his tone annoyed. "Is there even an outpost on this iceball or we're freezing for nothing?"

"I'm starting to doubt it... But we should just keeping going. We might find shelter ahead and we could spend the night there if we're to stay here for longer than expected.", Sabine pointed out.

"That sounds just about right. Plus... A storm is another thing we don't want to deal with right now.", the Lasat replied, scanning the horizon for any signs of heavy, dark clouds. Luckily there were none. For now.

The trio continued in the same direction, looking out for anything that didn't fit a snowy landscape. To say that they were cold was an understatement. The suits they were given were just enough to keep them warm in the slightest, but they weren't made for such low temperatures. Even Zeb had to rub his beefy arms to produce heat.

The trek was relatively calm, with no happenings that could put them at risk. For a short half an hour, the flurry stopped, and it seemed a good time to take a break.

Close to a pond were small, bird like creatures with very fluffy coats and bluish colours to match their environment. They seemed to have a liking towards the visitors, chirping and climbing on them. Ezra couldn't help but chuckle when three of them nestled on a grumpy Zeb's shoulders and head. It was just him who didn't seem amused by the situation.

The break didn't last long as the group had to move on yet again. The outpost wouldn't come for them. So far there was no snow falling yet, just strong gusts of air blowing right on their faces. Snowflakes were stuck on every inch of their bodies, making them look like walking snowmen. Every time Ezra and Sabine turned around to take a look at Zeb, the more ice crystals were forming on his fur.

Hours pass, still walking in the same direction. Noone could know where the destination would be. It could very well be on the other side of the planet and they would be in the dark about it.

This thought flew away from their minds as a tall poll came in sight. On it, a sign writing 'outpost' and pointing north. Relief was little to describe how they felt. Not that they didn't think that leaving such a sign in the middle of a wasteland was a stupid move (you know well why), but relief was still relief.

The walk continued nonstop, heading in the same direction as before. If only they knew the location of the outpost before they were sent here. The crew was given just the name of the planet and that's it. Of course they could fly over the surface until some sign of a base was visible, but Hera was quite in a hurry to go too.

Night passed before they even knew it. With the crack of dawn, some mountains were visible in the distance, covered almost entirely in (what else?) snow. Some trees, few and far in between were specking it's surface.

"Do you ever have the feeling that we're being sent on these missions just because the others want to get rid of us for a while?", Ezra randomly asked, a smile coming on his face at the thought. Of course he knew that it was in no way true, but in a way it sounded funny.

"Why? It's not like you cause a lot of trouble.", Sabine asked curious.

He gave her a confused look. "What do you mean by 'you'?"

"I mean you two. Wasn't it you who kept that TIE Kanan told you to destroy?"

"Yes, but you were in it too. You were okay with the idea."

Sabine shook her head. "I never said that. I just wanted to paint something."

Ezra shook his head with his turn smiling. Of course she was in it just to paint it. He remembered that day when she secretly followed him and Zeb to the hideout. The Mandalorian had told that she wouldn't tell their secret to Kanan and Hera if they let her 'make a masterpiece' out of it. And they agreed.

Back in the present, it wasn't even a minute of silence, when Zeb stood still, staring at something intently. He looked surprised. It didn't take long for the two teens to notice.

"What's wrong?", Ezra asked, feeling that something's wrong too. Sabine however got him.

"I think I know what. Check that out."

Following the two's line of sight, the problem became immediately known. It was a starfighter. Stuck half in the ice, nose first. It didn't look very destroyed though. And that was very odd.

"That's weird... If this is a wreck and that's all that's left of it... Shouldn't the rest be somewhere around here?", Sabine continued, scanning the landscape. Indeed there was no sign of further wreck.

"It seems that that unlucky pilot wasn't the only one...", Ezra said spotting another one a bit further. And another. Another in the distance. These were but the few wrecks that were visible from where they were. The entire region was full of those wrecked ships. They all had a common characteristic: None of them seemed to be actually wrecked. Just half sunken in the snow.

"What happened to those ships?", Zeb muttered as they continued. The trio kept staring at the ship graveyard surrounding them. The whole area seemed to be very ominous.

"Whatever happened here, it can't be a coincidence they all crashed here.", the Padawan said.

"That's the only sure thing.", Sabine completed his thought. The setting rubbed her the wrong way. Why there were no debris from the ships at all? They looked totally intact, but if crashes were the case, it made no sense at all.

Ezra's face brightened, a grin spreading on his features. Around a good 300 feet away, there was a snow covered building, in the form of a vault. Now that they were coming closer was it visible.

"I think I see the outpost!", he announced as they stopped beside him.

"Huh. That was convenient.", the Lasat raised a brow at the sight. "Let's see if it's going to make a good base."

As they were making their way towards the outpost, Ezra had noticed another thing that was weird. The ground was pretty slippery. Not slippery like normal snow. If one let their foot sink into the snow, they would feel it skid across the surface, while – theoretically – it should've of been solid, stable to step on.

Starting to place the pieces together, he began clearing the point he was standing with his foot to inspect. What he was met with wasn't soil. The ground wasn't ground, but more like glass. Oh no. No, no, no, no, no. That wasn't good. It couldn't be real, it just couldn't. Could it be?

All this time, the three of them weren't walking on land. Far from it. It was an ice lake. How didn't they notice earlier? That was bad, that was bad, that was so bad... Especially as the weather was warming, the snow was (very) slowly, but steadily melting, making the surface even slippier. Any wrong move... And it would be a fatal mistake.

"Guys?..." Noone spoke a word as their eyes met. A voiceless conversation happened between them, following each other's line of sight was enough to speak the terrifying realization.

"Ice lake...", Sabine said, her voice barely above a whisper. After another moment of silence, Zeb carefully turned around.

"Come on. If we take it slowly, it should be fine to walk across."

The teens nodded, still unsure of the situation. Step after step, the trio paced on the ice. Ezra was a good distance away from the others – a mistake. They were so close to actual shore... They were more than half-way across. Everything was going to be fine. Wasn't it? As confidence began returned to the rebels, the pace picked up again – a mistake.

A carelessly placed step on already unstable ground. A crack followed. The Lasat and the Mandalorian immediately stopped in their tracks, half expecting to see long cracks forming where they stood. Nothing though.

"... Sabine?", Ezra's voice sounded from behind.

Sabine felt her blood freeze. She was almost terrified to turn around, not because of any damage she would cause to the already unstable ice, but because of what she would be met with when she did.

It was a few seconds that felt like a year for both. It was just a matter of three steps. Why was it so hard? The crack sounded even louder. Smaller ones were heard, the situation was becoming worse by the second.

The girl finally turned, just 15 feet away was standing Ezra, totally still. Even though there was snow covering the surface of the frozen lake, you could still see the ice cracking and splintering in all directions from where he stood. Judging from his panting and ragged breathing, he must've of been totally terrified. He was clearly not far from panicking. Same could be said for Sabine.

"Don't. Make. A step.", she said after a few deep breaths. Pull yourself together. It will be fine.

"Then what do I do?", Ezra said in a low tone.

Really, what he was to do? It was evident that the Force would be of no use in this situation. No response came from the Mandalorian girl, leaving the two simply staring at each other. The ice sounded loudly, making it clear to them, that it wouldn't last much longer.

Ezra sighed. "My guess is if I take it slowly, I will make it across safely.", he said.

He still took no response from Sabine, who kept watching over with worry all over her expression. One step. No crack. Two steps. No sound. Three steps. So far so good.

Four- a startled yell as the ice broke and sent the boy under the water.

"Ezra!", the two rebels shouted almost in unison, both immediately taking a step forward to reach the hole where he had fallen. Sabine hadn't even made it three steps when the ice cracked beneath her, a large one shooting across the stretch of ice. She cursed under her breath, and then quickly her head perked up, her gaze frantically looking over for any sign of Ezra.

He hadn't resurfaced yet and this worried them greatly. They had survived much worse things than this. Stormtrooper squads, fyrnocks, pirates. An ice lake? This how it ended? No. It wouldn't end like that, she refused to let it end like that!

A calm, authoritative voice sounded loud over the panicking one, immediately giving instructions on what to do. Recollecting her thoughts, she look back to Zeb.

"Go inside the outpost, now. Try to find anything that might be useful, so that we pull Ezra out when he resurfaces.", Sabine said, sounding like she had just taken charge of the mission.

"There's no time to lose, now!" Zeb nodded.

"Got you first. But if I find both of you in the lake when I come back, Hera and Kanan are going to kill us."

The Mandalorian watched as he carefully treaded through the lake and then made his way over to said outpost as fast as he could. While he figured out a way to get inside, Sabine kept watch of the situation. It's been a minute or so, and still no sign of Ezra.

"Come on, kid... Where are you?"

As if on cue, he appeared. A frenzied bubble stream followed by him breaking through the surface of the water. He clinged in the ice for dear life, gasping for air.

"Ezra!"

Ezra didn't respond to Sabine's call immediately, still coming back around from the plunge in the icy lake. He then looked up to see her. Even from that distance, her expression of relief was visible.

"Are you alright?", she called again.

"It's c-cold. V-very cold.", was the only thing Ezra could say, as the gusts of wind hit him mercilessly and made him tremble like a leaf in a storm.

"Zeb already left to find anything that might help, just... don't let go."

"Let go? If I wanted to dr-drown, I would've already let go.", he said, a small smile forming on his already pale face. Even in this situation, the Jedi found the time to make a joke.

After a short pause, Sabine continued. "How are you feeling? Aside from the cold. Can you move anything?"

"Well...", Ezra started, trying move his legs. "I can b-b-barely move my legs. It's w-way too cold."

Kriff. If there was one thing they needed right now, was hypothermia, and it's nothing to kid around with. Just because one can keep breathing for around an hour in the cold waters, that didn't mean that hypothermia would allow them to.

"I think that I should try climbing out. You know... Before I can't move anything."

"No! The ice is already unstable where you are, you'd only end up falling in again.", Sabine incited. "You must just wait. Zeb will be back any minute now."

How did they always end up in these risky situations? Just a few months ago, the crew was just making attacks to the Empire on Lothal and stole supplies from them. Now it was about finding a base for a wider Rebellion, while trying to keep everything up and running.

"I knew it was a bad idea to come here. Ice planets are never a good idea.", Sabine muttered, drifting her gaze back to the outpost.

"Why? It's not like we expected to stumble upon an ice lake."

"It's as if trouble's finding us, and not the other way around."

"It's the occupational hazard of being a rebel, huh?"

"I don't think falling in lakes is part of it."

"Now it is." "Seriously, you think it's a good time to joke?", the Mandalorian crossed her arms, a smirk on her features.

"As if staying silent like that helps any. It will be fine."

"Ezra, you're blue in the face – literally – holding on the ice waiting for rescue. I don't think it's fine. Hypothermia can actually kill you.", Sabine started explaining, worry returning to her quickly. "What does it take so long?"

"Where's Kanan when you need him?"

"If he was here, that would make things much easier, with the Force and everything." As she watched Ezra, she noticed how the shivering had long stopped. In this case, it wasn't a good thing. The fact that he was struggling to not close his eyes didn't help either.

"You're feeling sleepy?", Sabine asked.

"Maybe... Just a little."

"That's definitely a sign of hypothermia. Try holding out, just a little longer."

Ezra nodded weakly, and rested his chin on the ice, unable to do anything else. It wasn't long until another happening occured.

The ice started cracking again, making large chunks sink under the water, taking Ezra with them. He gasped as the water nearly reached his throat.

"Ezra!" He barely made it to hold on the ice several times again, leaving him more exhausted than before. Without any warning, the chunk he was holding on sunk too, leaving no time to even make a sound.

Kriff. Kriff. Kriff.

At that moment, Zeb exited the outpost, running over to Sabine. "What took you so long?"

"I did as fast as I could. Where's Ezra? He..."

"He just sunk in again! We have to act now and fast, he won't last much longer."

A splash got heard from the site, and Ezra resurfaced. He made it and held on the ice, coughing out the water from his lungs.

"And there he is. Ezra, we'll get you out, hang in there!". Sabine then turned to Zeb.

"What did you find?"

"I found this rope thing. It will do it's work right?"

"Yes. It will." She began tying the one end of the rope around her torso.

"What are you doing?"

"I'll get there myself. Ezra must be too weak now to hold on until he gets pulled out. I will catch him and you'll pull us both. You can do that, right?"

"Yes, but it's too dangerous, you'll just fall in yourself."

"I'm willing to risk it.", she stared at Zeb intently. "I trust you in this, Zeb. I need you to trust me too. For Ezra."

A few moments of silence, and the Lasat inhaled deeply. "I don't believe I'm agreeing to this... But we can't do else right now.". Zeb placed his hand on her shoulder. "Go on. I got you."

Sabine nodded and carefully neared the unstable surface. Laying on the ice, she spread her limbs and slid across, and to Ezra.

"Ezra? You're still there?", she asked, getting his hand. Now that she was up close, she could actually see just how bad the situation was. His skin was deathly pale, and very cold to the touch. Sabine sighed in relief when he opened his eyes.

"S-Sabine?", he muttered, his voice barely about a whisper.

"You'll be fine. We're getting you out of here." Tired, droopy eyes staring at her blankly, was the only thing she got in response.

"Zeb, I got him! Pull us out!"

After a few trials and errors of fully pulling Ezra out of the water due to the unstable ice, the two rebels finally reached the shore. Thank the stars for some stable ground!

Sabine got up on her feet at once, and untied the rope, just to fall on her knees. She pulled Ezra in her lap, frantic to check for signs of life. When doing so, the situation hit her hard. His pulse was very slow, and his breathing shallow. The Mandalorian got up and supported a barely conscious Ezra on his feet.

"Can you move at all? We have to make it to the outpost.", she waited a few seconds until she got a reply. The fact that she even got one, was a huge relief.

"I... I think so..."

Seeing that he was unable to move his legs at all, and swayed in Sabine's grip, Zeb just scooped him up. They had just made it to the entrance when the Lasat felt the boy go limb in his arms.

•••

Warmth.

The feeling of warmth was what woke him up. Opening his eyes, Ezra was met with a heating device, warming and lighting up the room. Further examining his surroundings, he figured out that he was lying on the floor, covered by a bunch of blankets.

Then there was Sabine sitting next to him. He sat up, feeling groggy. His friend quickly noticed, her eyes widening.

"Ezra? You're awake." She changed her position so that she was facing his direction. "How are you feeling?"

"Good, I think?", Ezra muttered, looking around the room. "We're in the outpost?"

"Yes. Zeb and I brought you here after we got you out of the lake, remember?"

"Not really. After the second time I fell in, everything is blurry. Like, I do remember you coming for me, but not much."

"I don't really blame you. You weren't very good since hypothermia got you. You passed out from exhaustion while Zeb carried you here."

"Oh.", Ezra did, rubbing the back of his head. "How long was I out?"

"Not much. Just an hour. You're lucky, you know that? The cold could have killed you."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously. Why, you think I'd lie about that?"

"No, of course not. Of course not...", he stopped, noticing another detail that was different. He was wearing a different suit, so did Sabine. Their previous ones were left in a corner. Ezra looked back at Sabine confused.

"You... Or it was..." Getting where he was taking it, Sabine wore a mischievous smile drifting her gaze away.

"I can neither confirm nor deny that." That was true: either indeed her who changed him, or it was Zeb and she was doing that just to tease him.

"Sabine..."

Luckily, Zeb entered the room, sparing the awkward moment for both of them. He was carrying a few crates.

"This outpost is bigger than it seems... And the people who built it were in such a hurry to leave this place, that they didn't even think about gathering what they left here..."

The Lasat trailed off, seeing Ezra there awake.

"Oh. Are you alright, kid?"

"I'm fine."

"You gave us quite the scare back in the lake.", he said sitting next to the two teens, following that with a nudge to the boy's arm. "Don't do that ever again."

"Really, are we ever going to tell Kanan and Hera about this?", Sabine questioned.

The three looked at each other for a few moments, silence falling in the room.

"Nah. Never."

•••

The night passed quietly, and with the crack of dawn, the Ghost landed somewhere safe.

"Watch over the Ghost for me, Chop.", Hera had said, clearly an order.

Jedi and pilot treaded into the outpost, on the lookout for their crew. The place looked like it had been recently been used. And they were right.

Zeb appeared from around a corner, a huge smile of satisfaction on his features. He 'shhhed' at them, and gestured at them to follow him.

Getting inside a room, the three were met with a pretty adorable sight.

Hera whispered at Kanan. "Seems I win the bet."

"Really? You still remember that?", he said in a deadpan tone.

What they saw was a sleeping Sabine and Ezra. The thing was that how they had gotten into a hugging position while asleep. It was no easy thing to describe.

"Should we wake them up?", Hera asked, smiling a big grin.

"No. I want to see their faces when they wake up.", Zeb responded.

"To be honest... I also want to see that."


End file.
